Marketing Week articles from January 2005

Marketing Week archives from January 2005

For flagship ads, film is still first.
January 6, 2005... This year will provide ITV with an opportunity to cash in on some misty- eyed nostalgia: it marks the 50th anniversary of commercial television. Cue a showcase for some of the greatest ads of all time, and by extension the vehicle that has...

Vodafone marketer to take reins at IAB.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Mobile giant's head of advertising becomes first full-time chief executive of online body The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed Vodafone head of advertising Guy Phillipson as chief executive. He takes over from Danny...

Allied Domecq loses UK head of marketing.(Cathryn Sleight resigned)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Allied Domecq has lost its UK marketing chief, Cathryn Sleight: a second high-profile departure from the drinks company following chief marketing officer Kim Manley's suspension and ensuing resignation last year. Sleight left soon after...

St Luke's beats three to #21m MG Rover account.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Beleaguered British car manufacturer MG Rover has appointed St Luke's to handle its #21m advertising account as it looks to boost its brand profile in the light of dwindling sales figures. St Luke's pitched against Leagas Delaney, McCann...

Tourism ads pulled after Asia horrors.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The tsunami that devastated Asian coastlines on Boxing Day has forced travel companies and tourist boards to rethink their marketing. The Thailand Tourist Board has delayed an outdoor campaign, due to begin this week, until at least the...

Renault promotes Euro brand boss to global role.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Renault has promoted European brand supremo Patrick Blain to global sales and marketing chief. Blain replaces Francois Hinfray, who left the company at the end of last year. The move is part of a clear-out of senior executives, ahead of the...

Sunsilk range to grow with #10m spend.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Unilever is to launch a range of hair-styling products under its global Sunsilk brand, backed by an advertising campaign worth an estimated #10m, later this year. The move is a challenge to market leaders such as Procter & Gamble's Pantene...

Panasonic plans Duracell-beating 'next generation' battery launch.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Panasonic is to launch what it claims will be the "next generation" of batteries later this year, in a challenge to the market leadership of Gillette's Duracell brand. The batteries, which will be branded Panasonic Digital Extreme, will...

Carbolite unveils soup and hot chocolates.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Low-carbohydrate brand Carbolite is launching a range of soups and hot chocolates aimed at the convenience market later this month. The products, to go on sale in Superdrug, are being rolled out despite suggestions that the low-carbohydrate...

Hasbro marketer quits in reshuffle.(Carol Evans resigned)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Hasbro marketing director for boys' brands Carol Evans has left the company as part of a restructure that sees the UK and European marketing departments merge. It is not known if she has a job to go to. The UK becomes the lead market for...

Costa Coffee boosts its marketing spend.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The Whitbread-owned Costa Coffee chain is stepping up its marketing for 2005, by increasing its marketing budget by up to 50 per cent. It is also to expand its marketing team in support of its domestic and international expansion plans. ...

Richard Lancaster appointed.(Sainsbury's At convenience division)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Sainsbury's has appointed Richard Lancaster as the first marketing chief for its Sainsbury's At convenience division. Lancaster has been promoted to trading and marketing director for convenience. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd....

Soothagel launch.(GR Lane Health Products Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... GR Lane Health Products is to launch a mouth ulcer brand called Soothagel. The product will be backed by a #700,000 national television and press advertising campaign, which will break later this week and run until February 14. Copyright:...

Jo Rzymowska appointed.(Royal Caribbean International.)
January 6, 2005... Royal Caribbean International has appointed Jo Rzymowska to the new position of sales and marketing director. She was formerly sales and marketing director for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts but left in February last year. Royal Caribbean...

Alan Burnett appointed.(British Airways PLC.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... British Airways has appointed Alan Burnett as head of UK and Ireland sales and marketing to replace David Noyes, who was recently appointed as director for Heathrow. Burnett reports to commercial director Martin George and was previously BA...

New variant called Tease.(advertising contracts )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Unilever UK Home & Personal Care is to extend its Impulse personal care range with a new variant called Tease. The fragrance will be used across the range of Impulse products, and will be backed by a multi- million pound ad campaign created...

Boosting presence in Indian beer market.(Scottish & Newcastle Breweries PLC.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Scottish & Newcastle is boosting its presence in the Indian beer market by snapping up more than a third of India's United Breweries. The acquisition of 37.5 per cent of the brewery will give S&N access to the Kingfisher brand. ...

Angus Porter to leave.(resigns from High street banking co.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Abbey marketing director Angus Porter is to leave the high street bank in June. Following the bank's takeover by Banco Santander Central Hispano, Porter's role is being absorbed into a new sales and marketing director position to be filled...

Woolworths trading statement.(Woolworths Group PLC)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Woolworths brought forward its trading statement yesterday (Tuesday) to reveal a slip in like-for-like sales of 1.5 per cent at its main stores for the 48 weeks to January 1. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Ed Roberts made redundant.(Dairy Crest's new marketing directors)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Dairy Crest has made milk marketing director Ed Roberts redundant after a restructure which saw its three top marketers reduced to two. Spreads boss Richard Tolley becomes marketing director for food, and cheese chief Paul Fraser becomes...

BBH wins #19m global Smirnoff drinks business.(Bartle Bogle Hegarty)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Diageo has awarded the estimated $35m (#18.5m) global advertising account for all its Smirnoff-branded ready-to-drink products - including Smirnoff Ice - to Bartle Bogle Hegarty's (BBH) London office. The move follows a six-month pitch against...

Saatchi to boost image with ad blitz.(Saatchi and Saatchi)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Saatchi & Saatchi has launched a consumer advertising campaign to reinforce the agency's status in the eyes of the public. The move follows the recent management restructure, after the agency brought in fresh blood in the past six months. ...

Hotels.com picks HTW for #10m pan-European advertising account.(Harrison Troughton Wunderman)
January 6, 2005... Hotels.com, the online accommodation booking service, has appointed Harrison Troughton Wunderman (HTW) to handle its estimated #10m pan- European advertising account. The agency pitched against Leo Burnett and Publicis. Hotels.com, sister...

First Drinks seeks agency for Mateus Rose.(First Drinks Brands)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... First Drinks Brands is understood to be looking for a UK agency to handle the multi-million pound advertising for the Seventies iconic mass-market wine Mateus Rose. The brand does not have a retained UK advertising agency. It is understood...

Capital One calls #16m UK review.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Credit card giant Capital One has called a review of its #16m UK advertising business in what will be another blow to incumbent McCann Erickson. Late last year the agency parted company with decade-old client Bacardi- Martini (MW November...

CCHM:Ping wins JP Morgan Fleming rebranding business.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... American investment bank JP Morgan Fleming has appointed London-based specialist financial services advertising agency CCHM:Ping to rebrand it globally. The multi-million pound appointment was overseen by JP Morgan Fleming head of marketing...

New website and online strategy for Butlin's.(television and press advertising)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Design UK has developed a new website and online strategy for Butlin's to coincide with the launch of a #5m TV and press advertising campaign created by Mustoes. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Campaign for Haven Holidays.(advertising contracts)
January 6, 2005... HDM has developed its first campaign for Haven Holidays, owned by Bourne Leisure. It uses the strapline 'Great family get together', replacing previous strapline 'Where great family holidays are made'. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

Advertising for Plymouth Gin.(Team Saatchi's contracts)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Team Saatchi has created the first advertising work for drinks brand Plymouth Gin since the agency's appointment last January. The international campaign will first run in major drinks titles, promoting Plymouth Gin as 'The gin of taste',...

New anti-smoking campaign.(National Health Service)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The NHS's new anti-smoking campaign features people who have successfully quit the habit. It is a departure from the past when it has used images of dying smokers. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Campaign for Muller.(TBWA/London)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... TBWA/London has created the first masterbrand advertising campaign for yoghurt brand Muller under the tagline 'Lead a Muller Life'. The campaign will run from this month and will include television, outdoor, national newspaper and consumer...

Nokia in talks.(planning for advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Nokia is in talks with global agency networks about a #100m campaign to revitalise its faltering brand. Agencies from Havas, Interpublic, Omnicom and WPP Group are all pitching, including UK incumbent Grey London on behalf of WPP. ...

Campaign for theme parks.(advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Leo Burnett has created the first global advertising campaign for Walt Disney's theme parks to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. The campaign has the theme 'coming home', but is not yet confirmed to run in the UK. ...

On the verge of losing accounts.(advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Havas is on the verge of losing the Intel and US Volkswagen accounts, which together are worth #415m. VW is moving to MindShare. The shortlist for Intel comprises DDB (Omnicom), FCB (IPG) and Young & Rubicam (WPP). Copyright: Centaur...

Poised to win.(Euro RSCG London advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Euro RSCG London is poised to win the #30m pan-European advertising account of electronics manufacturer LG Electronics following a four-way pitch against Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and Young & Rubicam. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

MindShare snatches #9m Express Newspapers brief.
January 6, 2005... Express Newspapers has moved its #9m media buying and planning account from OMD UK to MindShare, without a pitch. The appointment was made by joint group managing director Stan Myerson. The publisher has been without a group marketing...

Npower blasts ECB for devaluing sponsorship.(England and Wales Cricket Board)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Npower has hit out at the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for reducing the value of its sponsorship deal, after the ECB awarded live television broadcast rights to Sky. Npower head of brands Kevin Peake says the company's sponsorship...

ITV advertising revenue share slips below 50 per cent.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... ITV's share of television advertising revenue fell below the important 50 per cent mark in 2004 and is expected to fall even further, to 47 per cent, in 2005, according to Billetts Media Consulting. ITV's share fell from 51 per cent to...

PHD holds on to #6m UKTV work.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... PHD has retained the #6m media planning and buying account for UKTV, the broadcaster of a suite of digital channels jointly owned by Flextech and the BBC. PHD is understood to have pitched against BLM Media, Carat and Manning Gottlieb...

Shell to review #100m media.(advertising contracts)
January 6, 2005... Oil giant Shell is to review its global media planning and buying account, worth more than $200m (#106m), in an attempt to consolidate its roster. Shell's global roster includes UK incumbent MediaCom, which handles media for Europe;...

Telegraph drops 'Bestseller' for promotion-led campaigns.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The Daily Telegraph has confirmed that its brand advertising campaign, underpinned by the strapline "Read a bestseller", is being put on the "back burner" as first mooted in Marketing Week (December 9, 2004). A Telegraph insider says the...

VisitLondon wants to raise #1m.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... VisitLondon wants to raise #1m to invest in marketing by partnering brands and giving them 'exclusive status' within the capital. For instance, it wants to appoint an 'Official Beer' of London. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

New York Times to buy 49 per cent of Metro Boston.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... The New York Times Company is to buy 49 per cent of the Metro Boston newspaper, one of Metro International's stable of free newspapers around the world aimed at commuters. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Jo Beedham appointed.(Guardian Media Group PLC.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Guardian Media Group Radio has appointed Jo Beedham as head of non- traditional revenues. Beedham was previously group head of Chrysalis Radio Interactive. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Partnership deal with GWR Group.
January 6, 2005... Guardian Media Group Radio is the first radio group to sign a partnership deal with GWR Group to use the 'Hear It Buy It Burn It' music download service across its Real Radio brands. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Npower to give away tickets.(marketing)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Npower is to give away tickets for a tour of Wembley stadium to every customer who switches to the utilities supplier. The Wembley promotion, to be backed by a national and local press advertising campaign, will start at the end of this...

Pick Me Up launch.(IPC Media introduced women's weekly magazine )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... IPC Media is launching a women's weekly magazine titled Pick Me Up, backed by a #6m marketing and advertising campaign. Over 3.5 million free copies will be given away with Woman, Now, Chat and What's on TV from January 11. The first...

Teaming up with FHM.(Vauxhall partners)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Vauxhall is teaming up with FHM to promote the launch of its VXR range of cars. The promotion will centre around a competition to find the Sports Driver of the Year 2005. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

BSkyB share of viewing.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC.)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... BSkyB recorded its highest share of television viewing over the Christmas period for the week ending January 2, taking 9.6 per cent of viewing across all UK households. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

Associated British Foods consolidates account.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Associated British Foods has consolidated its #20m planning and buying account into Zenith Optimedia. The agency already held about #8.5m of the business, including the company's bread brands and Ryvita ranges. Copyright: Centaur...

Scrapheap Challenge sponsor.(Nissan Commercial Vehicles.)(Channel 4 Television Co. spin-off show Scrapheap Challenge)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... Nissan Commercial Vehicles is to sponsor Channel 4's spin-off show Scrapheap Challenge: The Scrappy Races in a deal worth #1.1m. The Nissan Navara is also renewing its sponsorship of Scrapheap Challenge when it returns in September. ...

Consumers drive a hard bargain online.(retailers to spend more on online marketing)
January 6, 2005... UK consumers spent #4bn online at Christmas and traditional retailers must invest heavily in their internet offer if they are to match the growing demand in 2005. Martin Croft reports Britain is becoming a nation of online shoppers: but...

Cricket fans stumped by Sky TV rights deal.(England & Wales Cricket Board awards television rights to Sky)
January 6, 2005... Are the short-term benefits of the ECB's decision to award Sky broadcasting rights to England's Test matches outweighed by the long- term risks it poses to cricket's future? asks Daniel Thomas The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s...

Letter: The visions of 1984 return to haunt 2004.(Letter to the Editor)
January 6, 2005... Was it just me, or did anybody else notice that the press has largely passed by a truly significant event? An event that in my mind has both the implications and the symbolism to represent the explicit start of the "tipping point" in the...

Letter: Brand id isn't all about the bottle.(Letter to the Editor)
January 6, 2005... In last week's Marketing Week, David Benady examined the role of strong design in successful branding (Daring to be Different, December 2). I couldn't agree more that strong visual identities are at the very heart of almost every truly...

Will UK drivers fancy Ford's plain Focus?(new Ford Focus car)
January 6, 2005... Replacing the UK's top-selling car was never going to be easy for Ford, and the new Focus has received mixed reviews. So will the company lose the hatchback crown to a rival? asks Lucy Barrett The new Ford Focus has the toughest act in...

The end of a golden age?(50 years of British advertising)
January 6, 2005... It's 50 years since the first commercial was broadcast on our TV screens and ITV will mark the anniversary by showing some classic ads from years gone by. The golden age of TV advertising may have passed, but a new age is dawning as media...

WILL PERSONAL VIDEO KILL THE TV STAR?(future of TV ads uncertain as personal video recorders usage increases)
January 6, 2005... Marketers do not see much future in the 30-second ad as the primary route for building brands. Media fragmentation, the rise of broadband and the ability to down-load programmes as and when consumers want to watch them, and the increased...

Christmas is no longer the cracker it was for retailers.
January 6, 2005... As consumers expect discounts and better value, Christmas can't offer those margins retailers once enjoyed - a trend that will develop, says George Pitcher It was Stephen Fry who wrote memorably some years ago that part of the problem...

Search isn't the death of advertising, it's the future.(internet search offers 10% guarantee of targeted relevancef)
January 6, 2005... Internet search services do not pose a threat to the advertising world, they simply offer a different route to successful marketing, says Alan Mitchell When Henry Ford produced his first car it was driven by a bicycle chain, had bicycle...

FACTFILE: To the checkout without going out.(survey)
January 6, 2005... Home shopping is growing and its profile is changing - more than half of UK home shoppers now use the internet, and are purchasing a growing range of consumer goods The long-predicted internet shopping revolution appeared to have arrived...

SPECIAL REPORT - PROMOTIONS & INCENTIVES: Success is its own award.
January 6, 2005... It's always nice to have one's efforts recognised, but are industry awards the best measure of a campaign's success, or do they distract from the real issues of effectiveness? By Richenda Wilson "I love trophies," says Simon Thompson,...

Brothers need a woman's touch to spread the word.(men and women in public relations field)
January 6, 2005... For funny handshakes read air-kisses. Switch aprons for clipboards, hammers for lists. But even Masons can't bridge the gender gap, laments Iain Murray Ask most people what they know about the Freemasons and the chances are they will...

Media no longer a law unto itself.(Editorial)
January 13, 2005... It's a measure - though admittedly a perverse one - of how far the once parochial world of five-to-one presentations, long lunches hosted by the legendary Tony Vickers and gorillas with calculators has moved on that it must now concern...

Pepsi denies Beckham film tie-up with Coke is a threat.(Pepsi-Cola UK, Coca-Cola Great Britain)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Coca-Cola prepares to hijack Pepsi deal by backing multi-million pound Goal! film trilogy Drinks giant Pepsi has played down the threat of a marketing ambush of its #15m sponsorship deal with David Beckham by Coca-Cola, despite moves by...

Fiat UK chief exits after just two years.(Massimo Toso)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Fiat Auto UK managing director Massimo Toso is to leave the company after two years. It is not known whether he has a job to got to. The Italian car manufacturer denies that Toso is leaving, but it is understood that he will be replaced by...

Senior Lowe management faces shake-up.(Lowe Group PLC)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Advertising agency Lowe is preparing for a major overhaul of its management structure with chief executive Matthew Bull tipped to be promoted to a global position within the Interpublic Group. Industry speculation suggests that Bull will...

Gov't acts on threat to pull illegal ads.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The Government has pulled down scores of perimeter boards at Premiership football clubs, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, as part of its crackdown on illegal advertising by offshore gambling companies. Customs & Excise has begun with...

Milk Development Council ads to target teenage girls.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The Milk Development Council (MDC) is to hit back at potentially dangerous dieting fads such as Atkins Diet, which restricts the intake of full-fat milk, with a #3m advertising campaign targeting teenage girls for the first time and promoting...

Matalan picks former chief for 'value' task.(Claire Bayliss)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Matalan is employing its former advertising chief to head its marketing output and to push its value message. Claire Bayliss, formerly known as Bulman, is leaving her role as head of marketing and direct sales for Alliance & Leicester...

Christie's appoints international director.(Christie's International PLC)(Richard Bagnall-Smith)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Fine art auction house Christie's has appointed former Grey London business director Richard Bagnall-Smith to the newly created position of international strategic marketing director. Bagnall-Smith will be based in London and has a remit...

Labour plans pre-election outdoor blitz.(British Labor Party)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The Labour Party is thought to be planning a series of national ads highlighting statistics such as "lowest inflation since the Sixties", as one of its first moves before announcing a General Election. The advertising campaign will also talk...

Staples marketing director quits in middle of #5m ad and media pitch.(John Laidlaw )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Staples marketing director John Laidlaw has left the company part-way through an advertising and media buying pitch. It is not known whether Laidlaw, who left the retailer last week, has a job to go to. The former Dixons group advertising...

EST launches major utilities ad campaign.(Energy Savings Trust)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The Government-backed Energy Savings Trust (EST) is to run a multi- million pound advertising campaign to promote the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC), under which gas and electricity suppliers have set targets to promote energy efficiency in...

ASA scolds British Gas over TV campaign.(Advertising Standards Authority )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... British Gas has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over its "Doing the right thing" TV campaign, which shows various home breakdowns occurring at inconvenient times. One execution shows a radiator bursting during wedding...

Complaints against French Connection ads.(French Connection Group PLC)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The watchdog has upheld complaints against French Connection over press ads for its fragrance brands "him" and "her". The ad, in Boots Health & Beauty magazine, showed a picture of a man and woman sitting side by side on a bed in their...

Complaints about Pot Noodle ad.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Complaints about a Pot Noodle radio ad featuring different characters with excited voices have also been upheld. Four listeners complained about the timing and content of the ad, which was felt to be sexually suggestive and unsuitable for...

Co-op travel group lays off top marketer.(Jane Carty)(Co-operative Travel Trading Group)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... The Co-operative Travel Trading Group (CTTG), which buys and markets holidays on behalf of seven Co-op travel businesses, is axing a dozen jobs including that of chief marketer Jane Carty. Carty was appointed head of marketing in 2003 (MW...

Mean Fiddler faces fine over Red Bull re-offence.
January 13, 2005... Mean Fiddler, the music and bars group, has been found in contempt of court in a case involving its copycat energy drink Sinergy, following a complaint by rival Red Bull. Red Bull issued proceedings against Mean Fiddler last year claiming...

Fresh setback for Casio pitch as new chief joins.(Casio Electronics)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Casio Electronics has appointed a new chief marketer in the middle of a pitch for its G-Shock watch and consumer electronics advertising account. The decision is likely to delay any agency appointment. A former Polaroid European marketing...

Motorola re-signs ITV1 movies for 3G launch.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Motorola is to use the sponsorship of ITV1 movies as the core plank of its marketing for the launch of its 3G mobile handsets in February. The campaign for the new handsets will highlight how they enable users to take video footage and...

Sony Centres lines up star for first TV ad.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Specialist electrical retailer Sony Centres is to advertise on television for the first time to promote its January offers. An advertising campaign featuring former racing driver and TV presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson breaks next week...

BMW loses Mini marketing chief.(Trevor Houghton-Berry )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... Mini general manager Trevor Houghton-Berry has left the BMW-owned small car brand after four years. It is not known if he has a job to go to. Houghton-Berry has been replaced by national sales manager for BMW and Mini, Andy Hearn. Like...

ICI picks Philips supremo to unite paints divisions.(Richards Stukes )(Brief Article)
January 13, 2005... ICI Paints, maker of the Dulux paints range, has appointed Philips Electronics director-general Richards Stukes as its first managing director to bring together its professional and consumer marketing divisions. Kerris Bright, who heads...